Bahrain goes to polls in march toward democracy

Voters have cast ballots in Bahrain’s first election for representative bodies in nearly 30 years, marking another step in the Gulf nation’s transformation from absolute monarchy to democracy - and the first time Bahraini women were allowed to vote and run for office.

Despite the excitement surrounding the polls and the participation of female candidates, the former British territory’s information minister said no women were elected to any of the 50 local seats up for grabs. Of some 306 candidates, 30 were women.